A number of solidarity participants in the "Fleet of Resilience," after being released from the occupation's prisons, stated that they were subjected to severe physical and verbal abuses at the hands of the occupation forces during their detention. The abuses included deprivation of sleep and medication, beatings, pointing guns at the heads of detainees, unleashing dogs on them, forcing them to sleep on the ground, verbally humiliating them, and forcing them to watch clips from the "Flood of Al-Aqsa" operation.
Italian journalist Saverio Tomasi said: "I was beaten from the moment we entered the port until the end, on my back and head, and the Israeli soldiers were laughing the whole time. Anyone who didn't keep their eyes down was punished with a blow to the head," according to The Guardian.
The solidarity participants, numbering over 400, were detained in Negev prison, known to be one of the worst prisons of the occupation, located in the Negev desert, where Palestinian prisoners experience various forms of torture and abuses. The extremist occupation minister Itamar Ben Gvir stated that he was proud of the behavior of the prison staff, adding in a statement: "These activists should taste the conditions of the Negev well and think twice before approaching Israel again."
Spanish lawyer and activist Rafael Borrego said: "Every time we called for a police officer, seven or more armed men would storm the cell, pointing their weapons at our heads, with dogs ready to attack, then they would drag us to the ground. This happened daily."
The Global Movement for Gaza in its Australian-New Zealand branch reported that the Australian Foreign Ministry informed the family of one of the participants that he was beaten while his ship was intercepted, resulting in injuries to his shoulder and ribs. It also mentioned that the man was later slapped, mocked, and verbally insulted inside the prison, deprived of clean water, and prevented from sleeping due to the guards shouting all night.
Former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, upon her return to Spain, stated that the prison yard was decorated with a huge image of devastated Gaza with the words "Welcome to the New Gaza" written in Arabic underneath, describing the prison as a fascist state prison, adding: "When we requested a doctor, they said that was reserved for humans only."
Show related news Italian journalist Lorenzo D'Agostino told The Guardian that some crew members were in urgent need of medication, but the Israelis ignored them. He added: "When we all protested, they came in with riot gear, unleashed the dogs, and pointed laser beams from their rifles at our heads."
He noted that the soldiers stomped hard on Palestinian symbols like the keffiyeh after they removed them from us. D'Agostino and several other members of the fleet mentioned that the occupation forces targeted Greta Thunberg with harsher treatment than others, saying: "I saw with my own eyes that they placed the Israeli flag on her body while the soldiers took selfies with her."
Greta is strong and brave, but she appeared very shaken during her detention. A message from the Swedish Foreign Ministry confirmed that the activist was forced to carry flags and was held in a cell filled with bugs with a lack of food and water.
Thunberg arrived in Greece on Monday among 171 people deported by the occupation, and she told reporters: "To be clear, what is happening is genocide being broadcast live before our eyes on our phones."
Thunberg refused to speak at length about the mistreatment, saying: "I can talk for a very long time about the abuses we suffered, but that is not the story; the story is what Israel is doing now, escalating genocide and attempting to erase an entire people before the eyes of the world."
The first Scottish participants, Margaret Bassetta (72 years old), returned to Glasgow and described her detention by the occupation as absolute hell, saying they stripped her of everything, even her clothes, in front of a man.
She added: "They took my medications and inhalers, my glasses and headphones, tore my necklace and watch, ripped my shirt off, and left the door open with a man staring at me."
Additionally, 27 Greek citizens, including a deputy, returned on a private plane sent by the Greek Foreign Ministry from Ramon Airport in Eilat, southern occupied Palestine.
The Greek government has faced increasing criticism for its hesitation to condemn the occupation, while the opposition and relatives of the activists accused it of prioritizing the strategic alliance between the two countries at the expense of its citizens' dignity.
Meanwhile, a new fleet has set sail from Turkey towards Gaza, carrying about 250 people, including doctors, nurses, and journalists, on a ferry converted
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Horrifying testimonies from the solidarity activists of the Resilience Fleet about the brutality of the occupation forces after their arrest.